Iron Station Savage Masks IC III

[big teej]

Reunion Tour II:

"A friendly face would probably be best." Nightgaunt whispers to the team as he skulks up the wall after everyone. "Menagerie, if you feel comfortable risking it, you go for it. I'll do the Secret Service routine again if her birds take offense, or if she's confused."

Spoiler: OOC/Mechanics/Whatnot

Show

Nightgaunt will roll to Defend if Something Bad^TM happens, and if he fails, play "Noble Sacrifice"

[InTheMachine]

Manny and Keith

Keith grits his teeth and he runs back and barely manages to yell out the "Wait Si-" before he backsteps away from the swing. His eyes wide and he holds up his hands as the man calls him a Rook.

"Sorry for the intrusion sir!" Keith quickly says as he wills his suit pocket to form and pop out his AEGIS id. "Promise ya I ain't with the Rooks, was tryin' to find a girl named Sidney and thought you might have been her at first. We thought this would be her first stop and we wanted to make sure she was alright."

Keith takes a deep breath and lowers his new shadow hood. "I promise I'm only trying to make sure she's ok. I'm with West Side, names Crowe." He holds out the id for the man. "I am sorry sir, shouldn't have just barged in like that."

The man’s grip on the bat falters as Keith talks and he looks at the ID he pulled out. “What do you mean you’re ‘looking for Sidney’? They said she was safe.”

He pulls a few folded pieces of paper from out of an inner chest pocket of his flannel shirt. It looks like a handwritten letter. “She told me she was safe. What happened to her?”

[Roguewolf]

Manny and Keith
The man’s grip on the bat falters as Keith talks and he looks at the ID he pulled out. “What do you mean you’re ‘looking for Sidney’? They said she was safe.”

He pulls a few folded pieces of paper from out of an inner chest pocket of his flannel shirt. It looks like a handwritten letter. “She told me she was safe. What happened to her?”

Keith nods and puts his hands down from where they were. Not the best circumstances but as her father, he did have a right to know. Even if it meant that he had to omit some of the truths. That would be is Sidney or Ryker decided to tell him. Even then, how much did he know about Sidney's activities as Songbird? He took a deep steadying breath before speaking.

"About that, she flew off on one of her birds earlier and said she would be right back. I'm pretty sure she was just wanting to stretch her legs a bit and get some fresh air, but we still have her under observation."

He looks at the letter and realizes that Sidney may not have known about the breaks that could happen if she had a significant emotional shock. Best not to worry her father with it either.

"We thought she might have come back here, to home. Is there a workshop or something that she might have used? I..... I can't tell you all the details of her case. Not yet anyway until we figure out everything. But I give you my word you'll be the first to know when we find her. I'm also really hoping that maybe she came back while we were out."

Keith then subvocalizes into the mic to Dee. "Hey, Dee wanted to check in and see how y'all's end was going. She ain't at the coffeeshop. If you guys do find her, a pic when she's safe and ok would be lovely too. Thank you bud!"

[mmdeforrest]

Keith then subvocalizes into the mic to Dee. "Hey, Dee wanted to check in and see how y'all's end was going. She ain't at the coffeeshop. A direct family member would love to know that she is safe. If you guys do find her, a pic when she's safe and ok would be lovely too. Thank you bud!"

Why do I feel like Crow is pathologically incapable of offering a direct message containing all of the information I need to respond appropriately — whether in person or not.

Of course, John considered, that thought might offer as much insight about him as it did Keith

Pushing that disquieting thought aside, John quickly ran through what he knew.

The other team had been headed to Ashford’s Coffee shop. Sidney had one known close relative — her father — who was the owner/proprietor of said coffee shop.

Whether by accident or by intent, confirming information with Mr. Ashford would be a prudent move when eliminating possible locations.

What he could not remember was how much Mr. Ashford was permitted to know or had been told by others.

“Please put me on speakerphone, Crowe,” Dee subvocalized. “And broadcast to all points,” he added, so that everyone knew what he was disclosing.

I will try to broadcast to you as I subvocalize, John projected to Emi. I’m not sure what the full situation is with Crowe — although that is nothing new, given he had me worried about being eaten by a dragon, burned at the stake, and being crushed by a bus on Saturday. If you need to link up with me telepathically to keep up with the commas, please feel free.

“Good evening, Mr. Ashford. This is Dee — part of the team currently observing your daughter. Crowe indicates that you are concerned about your daughter and her whereabouts. Her current condition includes the occasional possibility of confused states. She departed our base in such a state recently. While we have been tracking her via one of her larger mechanical birds, there was the outside chance that she has sent that bird one way and went in a different direction herself. In an abundance of caution, we sent a team to your location to see if she had gone there.

“Right now, I can see your daughter where we expected to find her. We will be making contact with her in a moment or two.

“We apologize for any undue concern this contact may have caused you — although I hope you understand why we did so. While I cannot claim to care for her as much as you, we do care for her and want to make sure she is safe and cared for.

“We will be sure to update you as soon as we are able. I may not be able to respond, depending on circumstances, but I will continue to monitor this channel.”

[InTheMachine]

Manny and Keith
The man lowers his bat and puts the letter back into his pocket as Keith broadcasts Dee’s short speech. “Confused states?” he repeats quietly before going up to a normal volume. “She needed air?” he asks Keith. “What happened? Sidney’s not the type to run over something small, especially if she’s under… observation, like you’re saying.”

He motions for Keith to follow him back through the apartment to the living room, where there’s a door that slightly ajar. “Her home workshop is through there. She has a couple projects that she hasn’t finished in there, but nothing crazy.”

Double Date
I am pretty adept at it, Emi says as they float up to the window. Though I won’t complain about your excuse to be close to me.

Stella’s form coalesces briefly as they observe Sidney. “I’ll go down. Keep an eye on her bird. I’m unsure if she’ll be in control,” she says with a glance a Raphael before she shifts back into smoke.

It flows down into the warehouse before she ends her spell. The large mechanical vulture’s head snaps up and pins her with a sharp look. She lets out a questioning noise and the itty bitty birds swarming over her fly off in a cloud which settles on the other side of the warehouse.

Sidney doesn’t move or acknowledge anything, continuing to stare off into space.

Elvira moves in front of Sidney, opening her wings to block Stella, and everyone else’s, line of sight to her.

“Hi, Elvira,” Stella says softly. “You know something’s wrong, don’t you? I want to help her.”

The vulture tilts her head and lets out a sad, grinding chirp, but doesn’t move.

[Roguewolf]

“Please put me on speakerphone, Crowe,” Dee subvocalized. “And broadcast to all points,” he added, so that everyone knew what he was disclosing.

Crowe grimaced for a second and put Dee on speaker phone so he could do his heroic speech thing. One simple request and even that has to go complicated now. Then again it would probably be for the best. Dee had gone completely over the top for his date with Emi on the rooftop, though it was for everyone's benefit. Here we go again.

Manny and Keith
The man lowers his bat and puts the letter back into his pocket as Keith broadcasts Dee’s short speech. “Confused states?” he repeats quietly before going up to a normal volume. “She needed air?” he asks Keith. “What happened? Sidney’s not the type to run over something small, especially if she’s under… observation, like you’re saying.”

He motions for Keith to follow him back through the apartment to the living room, where there’s a door that slightly ajar. “Her home workshop is through there. She has a couple projects that she hasn’t finished in there, but nothing crazy.”

Keith nodded as Mr. Ashford started asking his questions.

"Yes sir. She.... Well, I should start at the beginning I suppose. There's a lot to cover so you may also want to sit down for this. The confused states part of her current condition, it only happens if she is in a highly emotionally stressful situation. I'm unsure what all else I am allowed to disclose, but we're all lookin' into who caused it and why they did."

He takes a deep breath and steadies himself just in case Mr. Ashford decided to still use the bat on him for this next bit. Ryker forgive me, but I have to explain a couple of things.

"Right now, the reason she needed to go and get some air was an argument. I don't think she had all the information on the situation that caused it." Crowe had an apologetic look on his face.

When Mr. Ashford waves him back to follow him, he does so. He looks around as he stays a good 5 feet behind the man, looking up at him as he tells him about the workshop.

"T-thank you sir. Who knows, any little thing could help." He taps on the comm again to speak. "Dee, anything in particular you want me to look at in the home workshop?"

Spoiler: Let's have a look around, since we have some permission

Show

Notice: 1d6o6+2 5 1d6o6+2 7
Danger Sense!: 1d6o6 1 1d6o6 2
OOC: My bird senses are not in tune.

[mmdeforrest]

Double Date
I am pretty adept at it, Emi says as they float up to the window. Though I won’t complain about your excuse to be close to me.

In a week or two, I can claim to be keeping you warm in the cool night air, John suggested as he gently slipped his arm around her, should I need to shift my justification for the sake of variety or plausibility.

Sidney doesn’t move or acknowledge anything, continuing to stare off into space.

Elvira moves in front of Sidney, opening her wings to block Stella, and everyone else’s, line of sight to her.

“Hi, Elvira,” Stella says softly. “You know something’s wrong, don’t you? I want to help her.”

The vulture tilts her head and lets out a sad, grinding chirp, but doesn’t move.

Sidney appears catatonic, Dee observes sadly to Emi. Can you work on her from this range? I know it would be child’s play for you to reach her telepathically from here but I don’t know how close you need to be for the kind of healing work you were conducting with your father on Sunday.

Spoiler: She fit WHAT in its beak?

Show

A Notice Roll to see John saw the BIG GUN: 1d10o10+4 8 1d6o6+4 13

John scanned the room below them, studying the space, the relationship of the birds to one another, and the position of his friend. The smaller birds appeared to be helpers rather than potential extras in a remake of Hitchcock’s classic. Elvira, however, was another matter — although she appeared to know and was comfortable with Stella. Even if it did not have a mini gun cleverly hidden in its beak, its size alone would make it a threat.

That presented one option: The offering of Tyr. He could offer to stand in front of Elvira while she aimed at him while Emi and Stella helped Sidney.

Depending on Emi’s range, he and Raphael could make sure she was protected while she healed her.

He could withdraw his magical support of Harbinger and suppress the AIs present in the room — although he wasn’t certain he wanted Clea to know he knew how to do that, in case it became a trust issue.

He could try and explain to Elvira the importance of their being given a chance to help.

He could continue to hover here with his and resting on Emi’s hip — perhaps snuggling…no. Not helpful.

John considered, weighing his options.

Spoiler: Assessing the Situation

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Assessing the Situation: 2d6+2 8
What is their best option for getting an opportunity to help Sidney?

[HIDA]

Manny and Keith
The man lowers his bat and puts the letter back into his pocket as Keith broadcasts Dee’s short speech. “Confused states?” he repeats quietly before going up to a normal volume. “She needed air?” he asks Keith. “What happened? Sidney’s not the type to run over something small, especially if she’s under… observation, like you’re saying.”

He motions for Keith to follow him back through the apartment to the living room, where there’s a door that slightly ajar. “Her home workshop is through there. She has a couple projects that she hasn’t finished in there, but nothing crazy.”

Manny lets out a sigh again before muting his comms. and he motions for Aeryn and Yuki to do the same.

"I think everyone is okay right now." He says, confirming with the old man setting his bat down. He waits a beat looking around at the little coffee shop.

"So Yuki..Para-

Kenzie. What's she like? when she's... not working?" He asks with a smile on his face.

[mmdeforrest]

Emi shakes her head. No, not with Stella here. I will need to be within a few feet of her to deep dive into her mind like that.

I wondered if that would be an issue, John confessed. “Okay, here’s our plan: Should things go wrong, Nightgaunt, get ready to break things as we cover our escape and keep the ladies safe. Should you need to withdraw quickly, Clea can be used to evacuate any casualties. That will override some of her limiters.”

He slipped his arm from around Emi’s waist.

“I doubt that will be ultimately necessary, however. Elvira clearly wants Songbird to get help. I’ll go down and make sure we get that chance.”

John kissed Emi on the cheek and smiled at her, with a touch of mischief in his eye as he drifted away. Remember: I’m mildly precognitive — at least enough to let me know when danger is imminent. Everything will be fine.

“You two will know it’s safe to come down when you see Elvira aim her mini gun at me and not fire.”

John floated slowly through the window with his hands up and out. He would have liked to announce that there was nothing up his sleeve but that was where he kept his combat knife.

“Good evening, Elvira,” he said calmly as he slowly descended — although, short of falling, he did not have an option to descend quickly.

“I don’t know if Songbird has told you about me. I am called Dee and I am a friend of Songbird and Miss Menagerie. I will leave it to her if she wishes for you to know my other names.”

He hoped Stella’s face confirmed that for the AI. It was disturbingly similar to the figures he had seen within Sidney’s mind just before he had walled off the Shard. And they were distinctly unfriendly.

“I would like to offer you a bargain. I noticed that you have a mini gun housed in your beak. I am going to land directly in front of you — at point blank range. Deploy the gun and aim it directly at me. For good measure, have some of your associates land on my shoulders where they can easily peck at my eyes.

“I will place myself entirely at your mercy.

“While you watch me — and your fellow birds watch Songbird, my friends will attempt to help her. To heal her. Should you see us harm her, you may open fire.”

John landed and looked up at the vulture, steadily meeting its gaze.

“We are this serious about helping her. The one who healed her earlier is just outside.

“Will you permit us that chance?”

Spoiler: Drumroll please!

Show

How do you persuade a vulture?: 1d6o6 2 1d6o6 15

[big teej]

Bird Brain:

"Oh yeah, sure. I'm really good at breaking things. I can do that." Nightgaunt says.

Nightgaunt's sarcastic reply at Dee's powers of observation of what constitutes 'safe' dies in his throat when he watches the mage float down and put his head on the chopping block.

Instead he turns to Siren and growls quietly. "You know, John's a real smart guy. But he has this tendency to do things that are really %$#&ing stupid without consulting the people around him. Maybe you should try to do something about that."

Assuming Dee isn't reduced to a ash and an afterthought by Elvira's firepower, Nightgaunt will crawl in through the window and walk down the wall to floor level. When he sets his boots on terra firma, the vampire just leans against the wall, pulls a blood bag out of a thigh pouch, and pushes his helmet up enough where he can take a sip.

He grimaces and shoots an unseen glare at the bag.

It tasted... Flat. Fake.

He put those ramifications out of his mind and focused on the variety of birds, ready to spring into action if need be.

Spoiler: OOC/Mechanics/Whatnot

Show

Same standing orders from before, if any of the birds turn hostile, gonna roll to Defend and/or Play Noble Sacrifice if Necessary.

Marking the Doom Track for Raphael being forced to consider giving up prepackaged blood to go for the source instead.

[InTheMachine]

Double Date
Be careful, Emi projects to John as he floats away. She looks over at Nightgaunt before he walks down to join them, but opts not to say anything about what he pointed out.

As John and Nightgaunt enter her field of vision, Elvira gets noticeably more tense. She shifts on her taloned feet as John speaks to her, watching both of the men as best as she can with only one set of eyes working.

The vulture considers John proposal for a moment before she does an odd hop-skip forward so that she’s directly in front of John, and Stella isn’t behind him, before a cluster of six barrels pops out from the back of her throat, locking into place. She lowers her head, aiming at the magician’s head and chest.

Stella waits for a second before she slowly walks past the large bird and over to Sidney, getting down by her side. The sorceress touches her friend’s shoulder, but she still doesn’t react.

Emi floats gently down, landing beside Nightgaunt before walking behind Elvira and joining Stella next to Sidney. The psychic carefully smooths her dress as she kneels and takes Sidney’s hands in her own. She closes her eyes to concentrate and her brow furrows as she makes the dive into Sidney’s mind.

Keith
Mr. Ashford’s expression darkens slightly. “I’d bet money it was that idiot boyfriend of hers she argued with. I know I haven’t always treated him right, but I was really trying to see the good in him. Especially after today.”

The man sighs as Keith enters the workshop. He finds several half finished birds, some sparrow sized and others hawk sized, but nothing really stands out to him.

Manny
Yuki considers Manny’s question for a moment. “She’s not that much different than when she’s working,” the shapeshifter says after sharing a glance with Aeryn. “She’s always kind of intense and focused, no matter what she’s doing.”

“Kenzie’s definitely a perfectionist,” Aeryn says. “She likes everything to be the best that they can be, no matter what it is.”

[mmdeforrest]

Double Date
Be careful, Emi projects to John as he floats away. She looks over at Nightgaunt before he walks down to join them, but opts not to say anything about what he pointed out.

As John and Nightgaunt enter her field of vision, Elvira gets noticeably more tense. She shifts on her taloned feet as John speaks to her, watching both of the men as best as she can with only one set of eyes working.

The vulture considers John proposal for a moment before she does an odd hop-skip forward so that she’s directly in front of John, and Stella isn’t behind him, before a cluster of six barrels pops out from the back of her throat, locking into place. She lowers her head, aiming at the magician’s head and chest.

Stella waits for a second before she slowly walks past the large bird and over to Sidney, getting down by her side. The sorceress touches her friend’s shoulder, but she still doesn’t react.

Emi floats gently down, landing beside Nightgaunt before walking behind Elvira and joining Stella next to Sidney. The psychic carefully smooths her dress as she kneels and takes Sidney’s hands in her own. She closes her eyes to concentrate and her brow furrows as she makes the dive into Sidney’s mind.

“Thank you, Elvira,” John said as he watched the mini gun assemble itself. “I promise you that we will do everything we can for her.”

Thanking a mechanical vulture for aiming its mini gun at his head and chest definitely had to rank as one of — or, more likely, the most absurd thing he had ever said.

“Just one clarifying point:” John mentioned quietly as he observed Stella and Emi attend to Sidney, “You may have noticed that Songbird is suffering from a nosebleed. She may have another nosebleed as a side effect of her treatment — much as you might suffer a small loss of oil or similar lubricant were someone doing some minor work on your wings. Should that occur, I will be able to clean her up using the First Aid kit I carry in my cloak.

“I’m sure you can appreciate why I would want you to know,” he added with a friendly smile, although he was fairly certain that the gesture would be lost on the mechanical vulture currently aiming a gun at him. “I would hate for there to be a misunderstanding about that.”

While the gun was intimidating, he took it as a compliment Elvira had not summoned any of her compatriots to land on his shoulders. If his precognition gave him sufficient warning, he stood a ghost of a chance of dodging a burst from the mini gun. Dodging that burst while attempting to fend off two mechanical ravens would be a much greater challenge.

A misunderstanding was his only real concern. He had absolute confidence in Emi in this matter and was sure that Sidney, once restored to her senses, would quickly ask Elvira and the other birds to stand down. And with Raphael watching his back, he felt certain that the engagement would be fairly one sided and be brought to a conclusion quickly.

If there was a misunderstanding, it would all come down to how quickly he could move and how many of the bullets his armor would absorb before failing.

A panel from the old Dark Knight Returns comic one of his middle school friends made him read came to mind, where Batman explained that he wore a yellow target on his chest because he could not armor his head as easily.

Or something like that.

The need to be heard had limited full coverage. Montcrieff, who had insisted on a live fire test of the armor against a low caliber round under rigidly controlled conditions — not so that it could be tested but so that he would know what it felt like to take a standard round — made it clear that full face armor was better protection against a well aimed shot but limited his ability to sway people, as a digitized voice was less compelling to human listeners.

She then made him fire several shots at the firing range, so that he could feel the recoil of that low caliber round and compare it to increasingly higher powered rounds until they reached the rounds that began to penetrate the sample armor.

He wondered if Elvira was more swayed by his natural voice rather than a digitized one.

He looked past Elvira to wear Emi was beginning her work and felt a soft smile blossom on his face. Even under these circumstances, his primary emotions swirled around her — her beauty, her compassion for Sidney, and her confidence in him and his hair-brained scheme to provide her access to Sidney.

Everything was working out. Everything was okay.

He hoped that it stayed that way.

[Roguewolf]

Keith
Mr. Ashford’s expression darkens slightly. “I’d bet money it was that idiot boyfriend of hers she argued with. I know I haven’t always treated him right, but I was really trying to see the good in him. Especially after today.”

The man sighs as Keith enters the workshop. He finds several half finished birds, some sparrow sized and others hawk sized, but nothing really stands out to him.

Keith grimaces a bit at Mr. Ashford's comment about betting it was Ryker. He wasn't at all wrong, but he couldn't know the full story. He also had to assume this is just how a father would act. Not that he knew exactly how a father would react. Closest he had was his uncle and there was never really a time where dating had been on the table. He wondered how different it would be on the male's side of the argument with fatherly disappointment.

Not like I could really find out..... Mine would kill me before I even told him I had a date. Pretty sure uncle would tell me I need to apologize and make a romantic gesture. He shook his head. Would normally be the guy's fault, and Ryker did muck it up rather well.

"I, can't say that you're wrong, but it was while he was still getting over a concussion from earlier today. Don't think that helped any either." Keith shrugged. "I do know that he would do anythin' to help your girl out though, and make sure she's ok. Loves her like she's his world even if he doesn't always have the words."

Keith smiles at Sidney's father. "I can also tell you I think she's lucky to have a father that cares as much as you do."

As he passes the threshold to the workshop and looks around, Keith's eyes go wide. The sigh Mr. Ashford had let out told him that he probably didn't want him to be in the workshop, or he may not even know what they might find.

"Can still club me with the bat if we don't keep our words. Know a guy that would love to see these in action too." It was true, Don E. would probably enjoy seeing the birds in action and making use of them as surveillance. Not that he would be able to make a statement like that to anyone else, or even really get anything cleared for the work.

Keith exits the workshop having seen most everything he could.

"Thank you, sir. For letting me check it out just in case something might have helped out." He nods and semi bows his head with a smile at Mr. Ashford. "Guess now we just wait for an update from Dee."

[InTheMachine]

Keith
“Oh,” Mr. Ashford says as Keith tells him about Ryker’s concussion. “I see. Well, I hope he’s okay.” He lets put another deep breath. “I know how much he loves Sidney. He’s just too stubborn to admit it to her. He…” Mr. Ashford trails off, rubbing the back of his head. “He’s not a bad kid. Now at least. He told me today he’d been paying my protection money to the Rooks, I’m guessing for the last two or so years since they haven’t bothered me for it in that long.”

“Can I get you anything? Coffee? Something sweet?” he asks. “We can go downstairs and sit.”

Double Date
Elvira makes a grinding noise from her throat, though John can infer that something is probably broken inside.

Emi is still and silent for over a minute, and, as John suspected, Sidney’s nose begins to leak fresh blood.

The vulture squawks at the change, but the barrels of the minigun stay still. A smaller bird that has a long beak like a woodpecker glides over from the cloud of birds that flew off of Elvira, settling on Stella’s shoulder to observe.

Eventually, Sidney gasps and her eyes shoot open. She takes a few deep breaths as Emi meets her gaze and gives her a soft smile. “Stell? Emilia? What are you doing here? What… am I doing here?” She looks at the scene with Elvira and John in confusion for a moment before her vulture lifts its head and the minigun slides back down into her throat.

“Sidney,” Stella says as she touches her friend’s shoulder. “Just take a minute. Everything’s okay now.”

[mmdeforrest]

Elvira makes a grinding noise from her throat, though John can infer that something is probably broken inside.

Emi is still and silent for over a minute, and, as John suspected, Sidney’s nose begins to leak fresh blood.

The vulture squawks at the change, but the barrels of the minigun stay still. A smaller bird that has a long beak like a woodpecker glides over from the cloud of birds that flew off of Elvira, settling on Stella’s shoulder to observe.

Eventually, Sidney gasps and her eyes shoot open. She takes a few deep breaths as Emi meets her gaze and gives her a soft smile. “Stell? Emilia? What are you doing here? What… am I doing here?” She looks at the scene with Elvira and John in confusion for a moment before her vulture lifts its head and the minigun slides back down into her throat.

“Sidney,” Stella says as she touches her friend’s shoulder. “Just take a minute. Everything’s okay now.”

“Welcome back, Songbird,” Dee offered with a relieved smile as he moved deliberately to Emi’s side, patting Elvira’s side as he passes.

“All points:” John subvocalized as he crossed the space to Emi. “Provisional success. Further updates to follow after initial assessment.”

Reaching her side, John. Draped his cloak over Emi’s shoulder and offered her his hand to assist her up. “Are you okay? I have some aspirin and Tylenol in my medical kit.” He frowned. “I’m afraid my kit is set up assuming I have access to my spells. There is some water in Clea’s boot and I can get it if you like.”

John glanced down at Sidney. “Oh, excuse me,” he said reaching for his handkerchief. “I promised Elvira I would help you clean up in case you had another nosebleed.” He looked around as he offered her the cloth. “Um, I still don’t have any water.”

He glanced at Stella. “I hate to have to ask, as a gentleman should be more prepared than this, but I don’t suppose you could oblige us, Miss Menagerie?”

[InTheMachine]

Double Date
Emi accepts John’s hand and uses it to help her stand. She wavers slightly on her feet before steadying. “I’ll take the Tylenol, please.”

Stella chants a few words and from out of a fingertip, water seems to flow into an invisible cup. She offers the ‘glass’ to Emi before repeating the process.

Sidney takes John’s handkerchief and dabs at her nose. “What happened? I don’t… I can’t remember. I know that Elvira finally came into my range and I called her down to meet with me, but after that is… blank.”

[Roguewolf]

Keith
“Oh,” Mr. Ashford says as Keith tells him about Ryker’s concussion. “I see. Well, I hope he’s okay.” He lets put another deep breath. “I know how much he loves Sidney. He’s just too stubborn to admit it to her. He…” Mr. Ashford trails off, rubbing the back of his head. “He’s not a bad kid. Now at least. He told me today he’d been paying my protection money to the Rooks, I’m guessing for the last two or so years since they haven’t bothered me for it in that long.”

“Can I get you anything? Coffee? Something sweet?” he asks. “We can go downstairs and sit.”

Keith nods and suppresses the urge to huff a chuckle.

"Ryker is probably in the top 3 stubborn people I know. But, i do get why he can't say it outright." He shrugged. "Don't mean it won't sting much less. And it's good he's still looking out for ya."

"As for the concussion," Keith grimaced a bit. "We got someone makin' sure he ain't doing too many stupid things."

Keith thought back to how they had been told he was drunk. It was bad enough that he never drank and downed so much. The head injury made it so much worse.

"He told me a couple stories from his old days, though, could have easily ended up just like him at one point."

Keith felt about 2 inches tall at Mr
Ashford's offer of coffee. It wasn't everyday you break into someone's place and they offer you a drink. Good thing he was immu.e to poisons just for that.

"Feels a bit odd after having just barged in like I did. Though do appreciate the offer. So long as I can still pay for it, coffee does sound good.

“All points:” John subvocalized as he crossed the space to Emi. “Provisional success. Further updates to follow after initial assessment.”

At the message from Dee, Keith couldn't help but grin.

"And just in time, sounds like they got her calmed a bit. Dee'll send out another update in a few minutes. I'm sure."

[HIDA]

Manny
Yuki considers Manny’s question for a moment. “She’s not that much different than when she’s working,” the shapeshifter says after sharing a glance with Aeryn. “She’s always kind of intense and focused, no matter what she’s doing.”

“Kenzie’s definitely a perfectionist,” Aeryn says. “She likes everything to be the best that they can be, no matter what it is.”

Manny ponders on the many possibilities to which their answers could be implied, both good and impractical. He thinks of Sarah, someone who was also "intense and focused", but she was more than intense about her work. He shakes his head. That's a completely unfair comparison, especially in the minimal time since they'd met. He takes another deep breath and tries to stay in the moment.

"What about Wolf. He seemed... uneasy around me when we met. Are He and Kenzie... ?" Manny asks making leading motions with his hands.

[mmdeforrest]

Double Date
Emi accepts John’s hand and uses it to help her stand. She wavers slightly on her feet before steadying. “I’ll take the Tylenol, please.”

Stella chants a few words and from out of a fingertip, water seems to flow into an invisible cup. She offers the ‘glass’ to Emi before repeating the process.

Sidney takes John’s handkerchief and dabs at her nose. “What happened? I don’t… I can’t remember. I know that Elvira finally came into my range and I called her down to meet with me, but after that is… blank.”

I’m guessing I should be vague. John projected gently as he steadied Emi and drew out a small pill case from the hem of his cloak. Do you need some ice cream? It’s a bit of a drive, but I can think of a place that would welcome us — even at this hour.

“When you were bringing Elvira in,” John explained, “you met Crow and Vitrol on the roof. Vitriol had gone on a mission earlier that day and was concussed. As a result, he was, perhaps, a little more inartful and less careful with you than he would have otherwise been and it upset you, triggering a confused state. Once we learned you had left to clear your head, we came looking for you here and at your father’s coffee shop.

“I hope you don’t think me unfair to ask, but it might not be healthy right now for you to look into the details of what caused this episode too carefully — at least not until after Emi completes your healing, lest it trigger a relapse. Elvira might be more trusting of us next time but I’d hate for her or the rest of your flock to decide they should make it a challenge for us.”

[InTheMachine]

Double Date
“He has a concussion?” Sidney says, narrowing her eyes. She looks back up at John as he explains his argument before she shakes her head. “No, I think you should tell me. What if I inadvertently overhear something and it makes me do… whatever this is again?”

Stella pats her friend’s shoulder. “I understand. You don’t want people walking on eggshells around you. I know how it feels.”

Emi accepts the pills from John and chases them with a swallow of water, but doesn’t answer John’s mental question.

Manny
Aeryn’s face scrunches up at Manny’s implication. “Ewww… no. They’re not like… together.”

“If you’re referring to how Wolf looked at you when he first met you, he asked me when we went to get the hostages why you smelled like a powerful demon,” Yuki explains. “He could smell it on Aeryn too, but you smell very strongly of Zylas’ scent. I didn’t notice since I’ve gotten used to it, but he had no idea that we’re housing a greater demon at our base. Wolf was suspicious until I explained it to him.”

Keith
Mr. Ashford nods and leads Keith out of the apartment and down the stairs, which empties out into the kitchen of the coffee shop. He walks the hero to the bar and gestures for him to take a seat. “I’m glad she’s okay,” the man says as he flips on a couple machines.

He pulls out a bag of coffee and runs it through the grinder before transferring it to a French press. With a glance through the dessert case, he pulls out two chocolate covered cookies with a pair of tongs and sets them on a small plate in front of Keith before going back for the coffee and putting it on the bar as well.

“Those are chocolate covered sesame cookies,” Mr Ashford says as he starts another cup of coffee. “They go well with our House dark roast.”

Once his own cup is done, he stands just to the side of Keith on the inside of the bar. “So you know the two of them pretty well, hmm?” he asks as he takes a sip.

[Roguewolf]

Keith
Mr. Ashford nods and leads Keith out of the apartment and down the stairs, which empties out into the kitchen of the coffee shop. He walks the hero to the bar and gestures for him to take a seat. “I’m glad she’s okay,” the man says as he flips on a couple machines.

He pulls out a bag of coffee and runs it through the grinder before transferring it to a French press. With a glance through the dessert case, he pulls out two chocolate covered cookies with a pair of tongs and sets them on a small plate in front of Keith before going back for the coffee and putting it on the bar as well.

“Those are chocolate covered sesame cookies,” Mr Ashford says as he starts another cup of coffee. “They go well with our House dark roast.”

Once his own cup is done, he stands just to the side of Keith on the inside of the bar. “So you know the two of them pretty well, hmm?” he asks as he takes a sip.

Keith follows Mr. Ashford into the coffee shop area and really started to wonder about just how many times did he catch Ryker breaking in to see Sidney that he's just.... used to this? Or was it because the rest of the team was checking in on Sidney. Come to think of it, Yuki, Aeryn, and Manny had been rather quiet. Probably just on standby making sure he didn't get his brains smashed in.

Keith takes a seat on the cue from the owner and watches as he makes the coffee. He started thinking he should come back another time during actual working hours, but should probably bring by something for Mr. Ashford. At least as an apology and even if just to check in and give him an update on Sidney later. At the coffee and plate placement, Keith smiled and nodded in thanks.

"Sounds delicious, thank you very much sir." He waited for Mr. Ashford to finish his cup before taking a sip. There was nothing like a good dark roast. Perfect acidity, just bold enough. If I knew time magic, would fill this back up.

He smiled softly a bit at the thought and question.

"Sidney, not as well I would like to. But can understand a bit of what's goin' on. Ryker though, we had a bit of a similar situation growing up so that helps a bit." Keith shook his head a moment. "Never met someone that knew so much about A.I. and mechanics as Sidney. Ryker just needs to not be as stubborn, but.... boy's got a healthy fear of, well I guess reality. Maybe too much of a healthy fear of it too." Keith takes another sip of the coffee. "Coffee is perfect as well. Haven't had a cup this good in a couple years."

[PK-Leon]

Q&A

Varga types some more on his keyboard and then reads something from the screen. “So, a stealthy approach. My report says you ended up fighting with Leo and his boys though. Blew through the front of the house. Somebody trip up?”

The hero fights hard to stifle his laughter. "Not at all. The entire operation went according to plan. Since our evac required the use of the vehicle on the property we needed to create enough of a distraction to ensure they got away without any issues. So I took a look downstairs in disguise using an illusion before signaling the rest of the team to move in. I knew Leo could create explosions going into this, but I may have underestimated their intensity... twice. Fortunately the building didn't come down on anyone there."

Drop Off

Ryker seems distracted. Louis knows that he’d made a few joke that the former villain normally would’ve laughed at or at least acknowledged with a smirk, but Ryker keeps looking out the window, definitely not at Iris.

Once she’s been dropped off, Ryker looks back up front at Louis. “Nah, I ain’t got anywhere to be. Gonna hurt like a ***** riding back. I’ll manage though.”

"I could ride your bike back and you can take the car if you want? Would probably be easier that way. But I'd understand it if you didn't want some random guy getting handsy with your girl." Louis proposes as he pulls out of the Wendy's parking lot onto the street.

He pauses to consider his choice of words. Okay, probably not the best way you could've said that but we're here now.

"So, you wanna talk about... whatever that was back there?" He says glancing back at Ryker in the rearview mirror. "It's none of my business but you were staring kinda hard at her when she walked away. Doesn't take a detective to notice."

[InTheMachine]

Louis
Q&A
“Officers on scene said they found a few pounds of cocaine and several stolen guns on the property, so good job getting that off the street, even if it was inadvertent,” Varga says. “What happened to the vehicle? If you have the plate and the VIN, I can look to see if it’s stolen.”

Drop Off
Ryker shakes his head. “Like I said, I’ll manage. Thanks for the offer though.”

His gaze darts away from Louis’ in the mirror, returning to the window and he’s silent for several minutes. Just when Louis thinks Ryker’s not going to answer, the former villain replies, “The way I left Aria was pretty ****ty. And hearin’ about how she’s struggled since then makes me feel… somethin’. Bad, I guess. Like I know that what happened wasn’t my fault, but I still feel like I should help her out somehow.”

He pauses. “That, and she still has feelings for me. She… let me know, while we were at the hospital. ****in’ kissed me, and I… well, I didn’t stop her.”

“Like, what the **** am I supposed to do?” Ryker says, getting more heated. “Sid, she’s my ****in’ world, ya know? She’s everything to me— the only girl that’s known all the bad **** about me and still stuck by my side. After waitin’ so long to see her again, I don’t know what I’d do without her. But I just ****in’ made out with my ex. The **** was I thinkin’?”

He lets out a deep sigh as he looks down at his lap. “You know what? **** it— forget I said anything,” Ryker mutters. “Lemme out here. I’ll walk the rest of the way.”

[mmdeforrest]

Double Date
“He has a concussion?” Sidney says, narrowing her eyes. She looks back up at John as he explains his argument before she shakes her head. “No, I think you should tell me. What if I inadvertently overhear something and it makes me do… whatever this is again?”

Stella pats her friend’s shoulder. “I understand. You don’t want people walking on eggshells around you. I know how it feels.”

Emi accepts the pills from John and chases them with a swallow of water, but doesn’t answer John’s mental question.

The quote ran something like ‘Don’t meddle in the affairs of wizards,” but he held on to the thought that wizards should keep their meddling in the affairs of others to a minimum as well. And now, here he was left with the job of being Ryker’s fixer. Yes, he liked Ryker but, if push came to shove, his primary loyalty in that relationship was to Sidney.

Her argument had some weight — especially since there was a fair chance that a drunken Ryker would be confessing and begging forgiveness of her once they returned to base.

He sensed himself beginning to reach out to Emi, wanting to snuggle into her presence at the thought of this latest twist to his day. All he had wanted was to be with her and forget about the world and its increasing demands on him — whether as the bearer of the kay’al or the finder of the Stones of Vanuusha or the briefer of people who had more expertise than him or the one to whom it fell to prepare a 4,000 year old summoner through her final moments.

No. No, he thought again, shifting his mental stance. Emi needed him to be strong right now and support her after she helped Sidney — just as Harbinger had needed him to push away his post-traumatic stress and help him get a good night’s sleep.

Tapping his flagging mental strength, he invited Emi to lean in to him instead of the other way around and find the safety and comfort she needed in his presence rather than the other way around.

He took a deep breath, looked down, recentered himself, and looked up at Sidney.

No one but perhaps Emi would see that pause as more than a consideration of Sidney’s request.

He couldn’t even be sure if she had heard his question, given their proximity to Stella, who still stood next to Sidney, trying to comfort her friend as she waited for John to respond.

It was only a few days before that he had needed to support her. Somewhere behind him, Raphael leaned against the wall, ready to respond to any threats. That had turned out well enough — setting aside the whole recommending a vampiric lair to him as a safe place for a date and what that had led to this evening.

“Very well, Sidney,” he said with a quick glance at Stella. “It is probably prudent for the reasons you give to let you know.

“As I mentioned, Ryker was concussed during a rescue mission earlier today. I don’t many of the details of that mission. Raphael might be able to tell you more, should you feel the need to know.

“When they went to rescue the hostage, they discovered that a sex worker named Iris was there. Apparently, she and Ryker were once an item. Following a fight which saw Ryker thrown through the front wall of the Rook safe house, he was prevailed on to go to the hospital. Iris went along.

“While there, she kissed him and, in his concussed state, he was slow to break off the kiss.

“When he confessed this to you while on the roof earlier today, his concussion combined with his sense of guilt made him put things in the worst possible light. You, understandably and justifiably, felt hurt and betrayed — all the more so because you were not given any of the extenuating circumstances. Leo messing him up pretty bad can cover a lot of ground and a brain injury isn’t the first thing that springs to mind.

“Soon after that, you mounted Elvira and left to give yourself some space to think, asking Mimi to give you a ten minute head start.”

John looked to Stella. As difficult a time as he was having now, she would likely have to carry the emotional burden of supporting Sidney later, just as Emi was carrying the burden of healing Sidney now.

In that context, he decided he should not complain about his role — even if it hurt to have to tell Sidney.

“Did I miss anything important?”

[HIDA]

Manny
Aeryn’s face scrunches up. “Ewww… no. They’re not like… together.”

“If you’re referring to how Wolf looked at you when he first met you, he asked me when we went to get the hostages why you smelled like a powerful demon,” Yuki explains. “He could smell it on Aeryn too, but you smell very strongly of Zylas’ scent. I didn’t notice since I’ve gotten used to it, but he had no idea that we’re housing a greater demon at our base. Wolf was suspicious until I explained it to him.”

Ah.

"I suppose if he can smell a Raeksha from the street or over the stench of the sewer, I suppose it'd make sense he could smell Zylas' scent." Manny says, realizing he reeks. Demon viscera and sewage cannot be pleasant.

"Suppose tonight's too much a mess for celebrations." Manny muses aloud. "Not to mention I need to apologize for speaking out of turn. It was unprofessional to rebuke that man publicly for his unconscionable behavior. My mouth tends to get out from under my brain in those types of situations. I'm sorry for causing you any undue stress or embarrassment. I guess maybe tomorrow once we've settled a bit, we could have a proper meet and greet with them when we don't have to immediately parade in a sewer. I'll make some desserts. Sound good?"

[InTheMachine]

Double Date
The logical side of Sidney’s brain starts to tick as she’s faced with all of the information. She’s silent for a few moments before she takes Stella’s hand and uses the sorceress’s help to get to her feet.

“Elvira just showed me some highlights that stood out to her,” Sidney says as she folds John’s handkerchief in half to get to a fresh side. “It’s starting to come back to me now.” She looks around at the four of them with a drawn and slightly embarrassed expression. “Sorry that you all had to come find me because of something that should have stayed between me and Ryker. I’m especially sorry to you, Siren. You look exhausted.”

Emi smiles softly. “I’m always happy to help,” she replies as she leans slightly into John.

“I let my emotions get the better of me,” Sidney says, mostly to herself. “I should’ve asked him more questions instead of running away. How… is he taking it? He’s obviously not here. I said some pretty hurtful things to him.”

Keith
Mr. Ashford looks down at the bar, taking another sip. “It’s always amazed me how smart Sidney is. Her mother was too— she was a scientist at Innovatech, but we lost her when Sidney was a little girl. Somehow, Sidney’s grown up to be just like her, despite not really being able to remember her.”

He takes a deep breath before he speaks again. “She told a little bit about Ryker’s past when we argued about him one night. His mom passed away when he was young, abusive dad, left home at fourteen and joined the gang. I’m sorry if you’ve gone through anything similar to that. It’s not something a young man should have to deal with.”

“I’m glad you like the coffee,” he says with a small smile. “I’d hope so, considering I’ve been in business for almost thirty years.”

Manny
“It’s okay, Manny,” Yuki says. “I appreciate you defending me and Wolf. Like you said, it just wasn’t the most professional. We all make mistakes. It’s good that you can recognize it, and learn from it for the future.”

“I think this weekend would probably work better for Kenzie,” Aeryn says.

Yuki nods. “She has school the rest of this week, and then patrols at night with Wolf. I’ll text her and ask her when we get back to base.”

A few lights come on in the bottom level of the coffee bar and Keith and a large man built like a linebacker can be seen on either side of the bar.

[HIDA]

Manny
“It’s okay, Manny,” Yuki says. “I appreciate you defending me and Wolf. Like you said, it just wasn’t the most professional. We all make mistakes. It’s good that you can recognize it, and learn from it for the future.”

“I think this weekend would probably work better for Kenzie,” Aeryn says.

Yuki nods. “She has school the rest of this week, and then patrols at night with Wolf. I’ll text her and ask her when we get back to base.”

A few lights come on in the bottom level of the coffee bar and Keith and a large man built like a linebacker can be seen on either side of the bar.

"Oh she's in school? I assume at a local Uni. Are all of you in school?" Manny asks genuinely curious. He then looks over as the light come on down stairs to see that Crowe hasn't been bludgeoned to death. and is being offered coffee? Nice turnaround.

"Well Keith's alive. We oughta go collect him?" He asks the pair.

[Roguewolf]

Keith
Mr. Ashford looks down at the bar, taking another sip. “It’s always amazed me how smart Sidney is. Her mother was too— she was a scientist at Innovatech, but we lost her when Sidney was a little girl. Somehow, Sidney’s grown up to be just like her, despite not really being able to remember her.”

He takes a deep breath before he speaks again. “She told a little bit about Ryker’s past when we argued about him one night. His mom passed away when he was young, abusive dad, left home at fourteen and joined the gang. I’m sorry if you’ve gone through anything similar to that. It’s not something a young man should have to deal with.”

“I’m glad you like the coffee,” he says with a small smile. “I’d hope so, considering I’ve been in business for almost thirty years.”

Keith takes another sip of the coffee and looks at the bar with a slight smile as Mr. Ashford explains part of Sidney and his past, and that he knew a bit about Ryker's. Certainly explained why he had tried to see the good in him, and it certainly couldn't hurt that Ryker would do anything for Sid either.

He found himself slightly happy that it was a while back about Sidney's mom at Innovatech. Meant they wouldn't have to add her mom to the list of everyone they had to payback the Greater Demon for. Though, a short thought played in the back of his head. What if this was a long game? Eh, if it had been, their adversary would probably have already made a major move. But then again, the stones and what the skull earlier that day was troublesome news indeed.

Keith let out a short sigh. "I'm sorry for y'all's loss, even though it's a while late. Was..... her research also in robotics? Mainly just curious since that's what I've seen Sidney do the most of." Keith shook his head. "Please, forgive me for prying. Don't need to answer that."

Keith sighs again before he speaks. "Thank you, Mr., Ashford. I...." Keith thinks for a moment and mutes his mic on the commlink. "Well, father was pretty much absent, and mom died soon after my powers manifested. Someone found them interesting and tried to take me by force. My uncle was trying to take down that villain and he ended up getting me out of the house but couldn't get my mom." Keith took another sip of the coffee and tried a bite of the cookie in front of him.

"Used to be a bit bitter about it, but lookin' back, I had a wonderful father. Or I guess, amazing dad in the form of my uncle." Keith smiles and looks back over at Mr. Ashford.

"Can see why the business has stayed good. Cookies do pair well with the blend, brings out a whole other level to the flavor and the balance is just heavenly. Think I found my new favorite place in town! I see where Sidney got her cooking skills too. She made a cake for one of our birthdays the other day, was amazing."

[mmdeforrest]

Double Date
The logical side of Sidney’s brain starts to tick as she’s faced with all of the information. She’s silent for a few moments before she takes Stella’s hand and uses the sorceress’s help to get to her feet.

“Elvira just showed me some highlights that stood out to her,” Sidney says as she folds John’s handkerchief in half to get to a fresh side. “It’s starting to come back to me now.” She looks around at the four of them with a drawn and slightly embarrassed expression. “Sorry that you all had to come find me because of something that should have stayed between me and Ryker. I’m especially sorry to you, Siren. You look exhausted.”

Emi smiles softly. “I’m always happy to help,” she replies as she leans slightly into John.

“I let my emotions get the better of me,” Sidney says, mostly to herself. “I should’ve asked him more questions instead of running away. How… is he taking it? He’s obviously not here. I said some pretty hurtful things to him.”

John kissed Emi on the top of the head as she leaned into him and subvocalized: “Mimi: Status update on Ryker, please. If it’s advisable, let him know we found Sidney.”

“I seem to recall making a promise to help you as best I could, Songbird,” John observed. “I’d say this falls well within the borders of that promise.”

Why weren’t Stella and Raphael stepping in to answer these questions? They knew as much as he did.

Because they aren’t stupid, John. It would be no more enjoyable for them than it is for you.

“I, um…”

Emi’s perfume and hair product distracted him somewhat, he noted. He was surprised to note that his thoughts weren’t scattering as much as they had before — even a moments before when he had been peppering her with questions about what to do to help her. Tracing the sense of it, he concluded it had something to do with the interplay of their auras. There was no blending — at least not yet, but they ebbed and flowed with one another. And at the edges where they met, they had harmonized, as if two colors shading into one another.

“He has been drowning his sorrows, I am afraid,” he told Sidney. “I don’t suppose there is any chance he is a happy drunk or the kind who descends into telling his male friends, ‘I love you, man’, is there?”

He had seen this kind of thing before — both before and after his enlightening in the British Museum. True, it was not as clear before but it was the kind of thing that he had sensed in his parents when they were together and happy in one another’s presence — a kind of fitting together that one would find in a puzzle.

That sense of them was steadying him, allowing him to both be hyper-aware of Emi while still being able to interact with the world.

“Thus far, Mimi hasn’t alerted us of any problems and we haven’t had any signals from Harbinger about him causing an issue, so I don’t think he had become a problem.”

A fading portion of his mind that housed his insecurities hoped it wasn’t all in his imagination.

He didn’t think it was, he thought as he sensed his aura reach further out to embrace and cradle Emi.

[InTheMachine]

Keith
Mr. Ashford’s eyes grow a little distant and he takes another sip of coffee. “It was a long time ago. Yeah, she was in the robotics division. One of Sidney’s first projects when she was little was built from a schematic that Cara had drawn for her before she passed away— a cute little thing that could jump from the floor up to the bar here.“

“I’m glad you have someone you can trust,” Mr. Ashford says after Keith explains about his uncle. “It’s important to have someone like that in your life.”

His smile grows a little wider as Keith compliments his baking and coffee. “Thanks,” he says before Keith continues and tell him about Sidney baking for one of the team. “Honestly, she’s better than me. She remembers recipes down to the gram and she knows all the science behind what she’s doing, where I… well, I just know that I need to put enough baking powder in to make sure the cake rises. I’m glad she was able to do something like that for your friend.”

Mr. Ashford pauses, looking down into his cup. “I was a little worried, to be honest. The letter she wrote to me was pretty vague, and I thought that maybe she was being held somewhere pretty restrictive. I know Ryker wouldn’t stand for that for long, but if it helped keep her safe, he’d do almost anything. So I’m glad to hear that she’s at least allowed to bake… wherever she is.”

Manny
“Drake, Yuki, and Kenzie go to Briarwood,” Aeryn says. “Ryker refuses, and Wolf and I would stand out too much if we went.”

“Briarwood is right down the street,” Yuki continues. “It’s only a five minute walk. Drake and I have coffee here on Mondays after class. Well, Drake has coffee and I have tea. Mr. Ashford would recognize my human form if I were to go in.”

Aeryn shrugs. “It’s up to you if you wanna go get Keith. Looks like he’s having a cup of coffee. Might be nice after a day like today.”

Double Date
Mimi replies to John quickly. “I do not think it would be wise to let Ryker know you’ve found her. I believe that he would actually follow through on his threat to melt down the garage door to leave. Drake’s keeping him in line for now. He’s distracted him with a movie, and the two of them are talking as well. Despite finishing the bottle of Fireball, Ryker seems mostly coherent.”

Sidney’s eyebrows pinch together at the news and her gaze drops to the ground. “What I did hurt him worse than I thought.”

Elvira lets out a clanky rumble and moves over to Sidney before she gently sets the bottom of her beak on top of Sidney’s head.

“I’m still a little mad at him though,” Sidney sighs as she pats her vulture’s chest.

On her other side, Stella squeezes her friend’s arm. “You two will get it worked out. I’m sure if he hadn’t been hit so hard in the head today, none of this would’ve happened. He loves you too much to risk losing you.”

Sidney nods slightly. “I know,” she mumbles.